Cards, Lady Cards pick up steam going into last week of season
Published 2:00 pm Monday, February 13, 2023
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After an unusual night that featured both the George Rogers Clark Cards and Lady Cards suffering a loss on Tuesday, both teams were eager to return to their winning ways, which they did late last week.
The Cards (20-5) fought off a determined Madison Southern (18-10) squad for a 76-73 win Thursday evening, while the girls scored a season-high 77 points in a 77-54 win over Campbell County Friday night.
Just one day later, both teams won in a doubleheader as the Lady Cards (19-7) rolled to a 64-26 win over Nelson County (14-8), while the Cards got off to strong first- and second-half outings en route to a 74-58 victory against Lloyd Memorial (14-9).
Following their loss to Frederick Douglass, the Cards looked to get back on track against the Madison Southern Eagles in Berea.
However, the Eagles wouldn’t make it easy.
Though GRC took the early lead, Madison Southern – playing on Senior Night – came back and led by three points with three minutes remaining.
That’s when Sam Parrish, who led the Cards with 26 points, stole the inbound pass and raced down the court for two points to narrow the deficit.
Soon afterward, he scored the go-ahead points as the Cards went on an 8-0 run to thwart the Eagles’ comeback attempt.
A three-point shot at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime fell short.
“It was a tough game,” Parrish said. “I just had to keep my head on straight. I knew we had a game to win.”
“We just wanted to bounce back off our game on Tuesday,” said senior Jerone Morton, who finished with 18 points.
One night later, the girls were in action as they traveled to Alexandria to take on regional foe Campbell County (9-18).
In a deja vu scenario from last season, the Cards scored a season-high in points against the Lady Camels en route to the 77-54 victory.
Ciara Byars (26) and Brianna Byars (20) scored nearly two-thirds of the team’s points, while Kennedy Stamper (10) and Trinity Gay (12) also scored in double figures.
One day later, in the first game of a girls-boys doubleheader, they took to the court at GRC Arena to take on the Lady Cards of Nelson County.
GRC never played from behind, building a 40-point lead by the end of the third quarter.
On an afternoon when eight different Lady Cards players found the scoreboard, Anaya Chestnut led the team with 12 points.
“We’re trying to work on transitioning the ball up the floor more and just trying to move the ball,” she said.
They also limited Nelson County to just under half its shooting average of 54 points per game.
“Defensively, we came out, pressured the ball, got some turnovers, and got some easy baskets,” said head coach Robbie Graham. “We had them back on their heels a little bit offensively.”
Following a celebration honoring members of the Clark County Schools Hall of Fame – including former Head Boys Basketball Coach Guy Strong – the current Cards team took to the court.
Playing against Lloyd Memorial, the Cards jumped out to an early 10-0 lead.
Led by an offense that delivered seven three-point shots in the first half, the Juggernauts cut into the lead as the Cards went into the locker room at halftime with a 38-33 advantage.
However, in the third quarter, defensive adjustments paid off as the Cards held Lloyd Memorial to only three total points en route to building a 56-36 lead.
They would continue in the fourth quarter and finish with a 74-58 win.
“That’s one of our best wins we’ve had in a while,” said head coach Josh Cook. “They have a really good team and some really good players, and that was one of our better executions of [a] game plan and adjustments that we’ve had in a long time.”
Trent Edwards led the Cards with 21 points.
“[Lloyd Memorial] was pretty big and aggressive. I just got in my spot and [did] what I had to [do],” he said.
The Lady Cards and Cards will finish their regular seasons this week.
The Lady Cards play their last home game Tuesday against Notre Dame (16-8) at 7:30 p.m., followed by a matchup in Louisville against the Central Yellowjackets (17-10) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Earlier this season, the Lady Cards defeated Notre Dame 54-42 in the White, Greer, and Maggard Holiday Classic.
The Cards travel to take on Bracken County (15-12) on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. and finish with their final home game against Scott County (10-19) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.